By:Michele S. Byers
If someone from Australia asks, "Where can I go to see a prairie warbler?" the only good answer is southern New Jersey.
As summer heats up, let’s look at how this wonderful yellow and black prairie warbler is so good at surviving the heat here in New Jersey. To get a good look, we’ll travel south, to the vast, mysterious New Jersey Pine Barrens, with Emile DeVito, Ph.D., one of the world’s foremost authorities on Pine Barrens ecosystems.
Emile serves as director of conservation biology for New Jersey Conservation Foundation, and is a trustee of the New Jersey State Natural Lands Trust. You’ll recognize Emile because his arms will be gesticulating and his voice raised with excitement as he gives us our "Ecology College" lesson.
"Like the Midwestern prairies, the New Jersey Pine Barrens are still prone to frequent wildfires. When fueled by a brisk wind, wildfire can race over the landscape at lightning speed," explains Dr. DeVito.
"The word ‘prairie’ is derived from the Latin word for meadow; it does not solely imply a grassland habitat without trees or woody shrubs," he continued. "When early naturalists were describing the birds of North America, they came upon frequently burned forests, where surviving trees were scattered among regenerating brush and scrub. These burned, sandy woodland meadows were the prairies of the eastern United States, where rain is so plentiful that even frequent wildfires can’t prevent the survival of woody plants. In these habitats, a particular yellow and black little bird was especially abundant.
"Yes, the New Jersey Pine Barrens is a prairie with trees, and the yellow and black ‘prairie warbler’ is more abundant in Burlington and Ocean County than anywhere else on earth! The prairie warbler should be New Jersey’s state bird, since it is the signature species of the only ecosystem unique to the state. The pine plains, or pygmy pines, are a product of repeated wildfires, occurring about every decade for thousands of years.
"These dwarf forests are jammed with prairie warblers. The American Ornithologists’ Union should rename the prairie warbler as the ‘fire-barrens’ warbler, and the New Jersey Legislature should demote the American goldfinch, common in all of the lower 48 states, and appoint the ‘fire-barrens’ warbler as our state bird!
"What makes the ‘fire-barrens’ warbler uniquely adapted to the regrowth in burned forests? They feed on the insects which hide on the undersides of deciduous leaves. Many warblers, tanagers and vireos are also specialists at this task, but only the prairie warbler can expertly deal with extremely dense foliage at ground level – characteristic in areas growing back from fire.
"Low, dense oak shrubs which resprout from energy-rich roots mature their leaves quickly. The thick, tough and waxy leaves of blackjack oak resist summer heat and drought, which can be unbearable low and close to the hot, white sands of the Pine Barrens. As June unfolds, the number of insects on the oak foliage diminishes rapidly, and the prairie warblers have the ability to switch their foraging preferences.
"Family groups of adult warblers and their young begin to forage on the recently emerged pine foliage, just above the oak shrub layer. The ‘fire-barrens’ warbler is so versatile, being able to search first on the undersides of low, dense oak foliage, then switching to fresh, insect-laden pine needles with the onset of summer heat. The prairie warbler is a ‘generalist’ or jack-of-all-trades, doing reasonably well at a variety of feeding strategies, while not a ‘specialist’ at any one task."
As we reach the beautiful Wells Mills County Park, Dr. DeVito concludes with a lesson for us all: "The Pine Barrens ecosystem is a prairie with a forest on top – it needs fire – and fires need open spaces without human development. If we can keep working together under the helm of a strong Pinelands Protection Act, our statewide conservation community will permanently protect even more Pine Barrens acres, and fire-barrens warblers will continue to rise from the ashes."
For more information on preserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources, contact me at New Jersey Conservation Foundation, 1-888-LAND-SAVE, www.njconservation.org.
Michele S. Byers is executive director of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation based in Far Hills.
